The Discovery of Society - Softcover

Collins, Randall; Makowsky, Michael

3.87

84 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0070118418 ISBN 13: 9780070118416

Publisher: McGraw-Hill Inc.,US, 1993

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An exploration of the lives and ideas of the theorists who have shaped and continue to forge traditions in sociology. It focuses on the great names of the field, ranging from the "Prophets of Paris" (Saint-Simon and Comte) to those of the late twentieth century. Significant biographical detail provides a context - historical, societal, political and economic - for understanding their ideas. Complex theories are presented in a style that is fluid rather than highly structured. The major changes of the fifth edition are the inclusion of a new chapter on the women's revolution in sociology, and an extended treatment of the development of African-American sociology focusing on W.E.B. Dubois.

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From the Publisher:

Expanded coverage of the emergence of African-American sociology, with a new, separate chapter focusing on W.E.B. Du Bois and his successors.
Expanded coverage of C. Wright Mills, the American sociologist who came to grips most forcefully with the macro-structure of organized power in the United States.
Author Randall Collins is an eminent sociologist with an international reputation as a sociological theorist.
Written in an engaging, narrative style, this book provides a solid foundation in social/sociological theory, presenting theory as a dynamic, relevant, exciting, and on-going enterprise.
Explores the lives and ideas of the major thinkers who have forged the classical tradition in sociology.
Biographical and historical details provide context, promoting an appreciation of these thinkers as unique personalities who were influenced by their social, political, and economic environments.
While focusing on the development of the great classical tradition, it does an excellent job discussing contemporary developments and their ties to classical concerns.
New chapter on The Emergence of African- American Sociology.
Expanded coverage of C. Wright Mills, the famous American sociologist. Excerpt form book to show student-friendly tone:"'controversial, motorcycle-riding sociologist from Columbia University'big, burly Texan, so full of energy that he even wrote standing up; he went through 3 marriages and wrote 6 major books before dying of a heart attack at the age of 46,"
Engaging book that explores the lives and ideas of major thinkers.
Chapter on the Impact of Women in Sociology in the late 2oth century
Spans classic and contemporary theory and ties the contemporary development to classical concerns.

About the Author:

Randall Collins is Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Riverside. He earned his A.B. at Harvard in 1963, his M.A. at Stanford in 1964, and received his Ph.D. at University of California, Berkley in 1969. He is the author of numerous books and articles, such as Conflict Sociology: Toward an Explanatory Science, The Credential Society, Three Sociological Traditions, Weberian Sociological Theory, and Theoretical Sociology. Many of his works are of international interest, and have been translated into Italian, Duthc, Spanish, Korean, Chinese, Rumanian, German, and Arabic.

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